A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
Desk reporters Phillip Powell and Lucas Dufalla canoe the Mississippi River with John Ruskey and the Quapaw Canoe Co. Credit: Brian Chilson/Arkansas Times
This week, we’ve got some fun field work from Desk reporters Phillip Powell of the Arkansas Times and Lucas Dufalla of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, who paddled the Mississippi River at the end of March with river guide John Ruskey and his team. It offered them an opportunity reflect on our relationship with wild places and when we choose to tame them in the name of progress. Enjoy!
Here’s Phillip:
Desk reporter Phillip Powell, Arkansas Times
"I grew up within 50 miles of the Mississippi River as a fairly outdoorsy kid, and I never thought once to myself that I could canoe the river. So when I joined the Ag & Water Desk last July and learned about what John Ruskey was doing with Quapaw Canoe Co., I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be out there.
Ruskey has been guiding groups on recreational trips on the Mississippi River for 30 years. Joined by Mark “River” Peoples and other river lovers, Ruskey has made it his life’s work to open people’s eyes to how beautiful and interesting the Mississippi River is.
As Ruskey noted to us, while millions of people live in the lower Mississippi River watershed, not many can say they’ve actually been on the river, even though it is at its most wild and free between Memphis and New Orleans.
We joined John, Mark and other “Quapaws” for a 6-mile canoe trip around Montezuma Island between Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, and Clarksdale, Mississippi, where Quapaw Canoe Co. is based. John pointed out on the trip that while the river is intimidating in our minds, and it can certainly a dangerous place, it’s also one of the few places left in the country where we can experience the raw, wild power of such a big river. And being out in nature on such a grand scale was one of the most peaceful and illuminating experiences of my life.
Mark "River" Peoples and John Ruskey (right) canoe on the Mississippi River. Credit: Brian Chilson/Arkansas Times
On the trip, Ruskey taught us about some of the history and ecosystems found in the great islands that have emerged in the river over years of change. And of course, he regaled us with tales of some of his most interesting trips on the river. I’m now writing a story for Arkansas Times magazine about the Quapaw Canoe Co. that explores the role outdoor recreation plays in conservation and invites Arkansans to experience the river themselves."
Desk reporter Lucas Dufalla, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Lucas adds:
"The day after our canoe outing, I made the trip back to Helena-West Helena to report on the Mississippi River Commission meeting, which gave some context to what Ruskey was telling us. During our voyage, as we settled in for lunch on a Mississippi River channel island, Ruskey shared how the island was a part of a free-flowing section of the river that felt relatively untouched by humans.
There was evidence of human intervention, though. The long, thin outcropping of rocks that jutted out from our chosen lunch spot was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers to control the river. It’s a part of the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project, a landmark federal infrastructure program that was the focus at the Mississippi River Commission meeting I was attending.
The commission meets twice a year: once during high water (this gathering) and once during low water. After a two-hour drive, I arrived at the wrong boat landing and couldn’t find the location, the motor vessel Mississippi. A frantic phone call to the Corps later, I found the massive 241-foot steamer. Much to my surprise, my sources were all sitting together in what one dubbed the “troublemaker section.”
The motor vessel MISSISSIPPI. Credit: Lucas Dufalla/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The MR&T has seen its funding decreased this fiscal year, which could in turn cause a backlog of projects, according to one of the commissioners. This difficult news came as Arkansans asked the Corps for more funding for local levee projects that are subsets of the MR&T.
Hearing the discussion and seeing how it will be implemented made me think about Ruskey’s idea of “wildness” of the Mississippi and how that contributes to its intimidation factor. If the Mississippi continues to lose its wild aspects as the Corps invests in infrastructure to tame it, will it still be intimidating? It’s an interesting facet of environmental reporting: where and why we allow nature to remain wild and where we shape it with human hands.
That’s not up to me to determine, though. In the meantime, I’ll be seeing how the MR&T progresses and how Arkansans are dealing with the funding strain."
A big thanks to Lucas and Phillip for sharing this piece! A quick programming note: our big wetlands reporting project, which has been months of work for our team, drops next week. Expect to see us in your inbox a few times as we highlight this important journalism on a timely topic. We can't wait to share it with you.
Thanks for reading. More next week from across the Basin!
Sincerely,
Michael Crowe Interim Assistant Director, Ag & Water Desk
